USDA Refused to Heed Warnings of Atypical Strains of Mad Cow Disease Since Research Reported Likelihood of Variant in (U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News) The Unites States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has finally admitted that the U.S. may have its own variant of mad cow disease after confirming two cases of mad cow disease reported in Texas and Alabama were atypical strains of the disease. The Agency can no longer dismiss the scientific research published in 1993 by Dr. Richard Marsh of the University of Wisconsin that warned about "the [News Source]

Homegrown gas: not just for freaks anymore. Democrats are promoting their Rural Working Group's plan to rapidly expand biofuels production and distribution; encourage deployment of new engine technologies for flex fuel, hybrid and biodiesel vehicles; and encourage cutting-edge research to develop the next revolution in renewable energy. [News Source]

Is this doctor a hero or a health risk? Andrew Wakefield's career in Britain is in ruins because of his opposition to the MMR vaccine. [News Source]

Menus will include beef origin. Large restaurants in Korea serving grilled or roast beef dishes will be required to show the origin of the meat on the menu from next year. [News Source]

Japan holds last hearing on U.S. beef Japan was scheduled to hold the last of its public hearings on U.S. beef safety Wednesday before making a formal decision on whether to reopen the once-lucrative Japanese market to American beef. [News Source]

Japan holds public hearing on U.S. beef . Opponents of U.S. beef imports to Japan accused the government of failing to ensure consumer safety, and demanded at a public hearing Wednesday that Washington inspect every cow that goes to slaughter for mad cow disease. [News Source]

New warning on mutton as brain disease hits sheep. Meat eaters in England have been told that avoiding mutton, goat and some sausages is the only way to reduce the risks from a new animal brain disease. [News Source]

GeneThera and Leading Italian Research Institute Collaborate on Mad Cow & Other Animal Diseases (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) WHEAT RIDGE, Colo.----June 14, 2006--GeneThera, Inc. announces the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Italy's leading applied research laboratory, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna , to collaborate on scientific research related to the diagnosis of animal transmittable diseases, such as Mad Cow Disease and Scrapie. [News Source]

EarthTalk: Mad Cow Disease in North America? (Kansas City InfoZine) Dear EarthTalk: What is the significance of the recent discovery of a cow in Alabama having Mad Cow disease? Isn't that the very first in North America? Should we be worried? -- Chris Carroll, Austin, TX [News Source]